WHEN MORE IS LESS - AN AVERAGING SUMMATION ANALYSIS OF SOCIAL ANXIETY/

This research explored higher and lower socially anxious individuals' impressions of homogeneous and heterogeneous discussion groups. Based upon an averaging-summation analysis, it was expected that subjects wo uld average their impressions and resultant anxiety in a heterogeneous group. This result was obtained; individuals anticipated experiencing less anxiety in a group composed of 1 faculty and 3 high school stude nts than in a group composed of a single high status discussant. Furth ermore, the responses of high and low socially anxious individuals to heterogeneous groups differed. These results suggest that high and low socially anxious individuals may differ in their focus of attention i n small groups, resulting in a different weighting of status variables . (C) 1996 Academic Press, Inc.